Apparatus for treating flexible webs



March 23, 1954 E. M. FLlNT APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE WEBS 3 She'ets-Sheec l Filed June 2l, 1951 March 23, 1954 E. M. FLINT 2,672,844

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE WEBS Filed June 21, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 23, 1954 E, M. FLlNT 2,672,844

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE WEBS Filed Jun@ 2l, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I maf/@737% Patented Mar. 23, 1954 UNITI-:D STATES NPitreNT omen iii igiene .fdlint,rlliaywo`odf, ll.; assignor.;to Vapo Systems Company, a corporation of `Illinois nounausiiudnei, 1951, seiioifzszliii i yliinns. (c1. 1181.315)

This invention `relates fa ooiditio'nin" ineens 'and'morelparticularly to 12in apparatus for applyl ing `a conditioning liquid to 'fa moving web.

*'ltis the *generalo'bject 'of this invention t' pro# jdce a-n'ew 'and ifnpro'ved veb conditioning 'api iiaratiis.

ione vof the vtje'atur'es "if 'this inventioni's 'the pro-` vision, in ie. web conditioning apparatus; of plurulityof-fparallei pipes; one to supply 'doni'- pressd air andanotner to supply eonditioning l" iiduid `to a Iplurality Aof atomizing nozzles ad pted `ima-ppn -theiiquidin spray foi'm to amovin'g web ofpaperor the like.

Another feature 'of the invention lis the pro-1 yisionfin a 'webcoricliti'bnin'g zaiiipa'ra'tisof tiietyp dscribed'rabovefof'a thiidfpipelparallel t'o the fir`st two and connected to the 'liquid `supply `pipe to act as a return line to provide recirculation system whereby the liquid may be maintained rat predetermined temperatures or concntra'tionsi- `An additional feature f the intention 'is the provisiom in a web conditioning apparatuspf threeparallelipipes 'mounted to eiitend transversei 1y t0 the direction Gof movement of the Web, with one of the pipes being adantedio supply uiiuid and another compressed'air to a plurality of" ray nozzles 'spa'cedalon'g the pipe. and which includes a third pipe connected to the first neahs of wa bracket, withthe 4third pipe being adapted to act as a return line and being connected to "the liquid supp1y pipe through me Amedium 4'of dassa'ge formedin thebracket; l `further feature ofthe invention "is the -p` vision Vof anovel 'unitary valve "ineens for drawing oi liquid and air from vliquicland air'siip'ply pipes and supplying their! toV an atoiizing nozzle, the vaive-meansgineiudin metering veines operatito regulate-and 'adjust the relative supply of ai'r and liquid to the atomizing nozzle.

lillnother 'feature of the 'invention is the lprovision of mounting means for the supplyand i'r pip'e unit which is so constructedand 'arranged to be easily secured to a support, 'such kas :an angle iron, and which; while serving firmly to hold the pipe unit in position relative to the web, is ad# justable toshift the pipe unit transversely 'of the web accurately to position the same. l

@thergand further vfeatures ofthe invention will he vreadily apparent from the following descrip' tion and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a `schematic diagram of a 'complete system for supplying a conditioning 4liquid to a :noting web; v Y

2 is a side 4elevation of the pipe unitof this enemies... showinaih meerisipr `uiriplying air and liquid to a. number of atomizing nozzles;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged View, partiallyin section', of the `left-hand portion of Fig? and rotated "approxmately '1806 about a horizontalaizis;

Fig. ifis a side elevation of the valvenieans of this invention and 1showing the attachment 'of the 'atomizing nozzle thereto Y Fig. 5 is a View like Figai, partially 'in sectioinlto illustrate the interior construction of the valve unit. o n

Fig. Bis a side elevation of the supporting'means for lthepile unit;

F'g. 7 is a vertical view taken along line 12111 fof iisigks; and s t Fig. L8 is a yhorizontal section taken along line asseoir-ig?. u

While this invention is Vsusceptible of einb'odif ment in ina-ny different forn`1`s, there is"shov`vr 1h the drawings and Willjlerenbe described inde-"- tail one specific "embodiment, With 'the 'und'er standing that ihepfesenr disclosure is to 'benon-4 sidered as lan eiie'inpl'ication vof the-principles of the invention and is 'not intended io linut the in; vention to the 'embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointedout in the 'ap'- pendedclairns. 'I jhis invention; Whilereadily `"adapted Ato supply azonditioi'ing 'fiuidt'dfleiiiblf v'iebsof any a't'urfej, is particularly useful for supplying conditioning liquid, such as Water, to Webs of paper. Dryness in a sheet (if-paper cause s it 'to become brittle and is the cause fof niimerousbfenks on printing presses, coating machines and the like, vand thus it 'is often advisable to supply moisture to a paper Web prior to the printing or coating operation inv order to insure that the paper possesses the requisite strength t'o pass through the apparatus'. In addition, it is often desired tosupply a con# ditioning liquid, consisting not solely of Water; to a Aweb in order to improve certain desired charac'- teristis t'p the Welo. For `eXample; 'it may be de? sired to apply a `SZingiiui'd to a web of paper textile, or toapply al coloring matter or surface treating solutions of various sorts to the nioving Web- Referring now to Figuresz and 3 of thefdiaiy: includes an air supply pipe ings, uieiiipe una 'in n, e Aliquid supply pipe 1 2 end niey inoiuie third pipe 13. l3,'1`he pipes llll extend par" Tl to each therand are aizialited to 'be positioned trimsvers'elyV of the moving Web Whichmis to 'be treated. Air under pressure is 'supplied to th'e'air pipe Il through a normally 'closed solenoid coni trolled shutoff valve I4, a pressure regulating valve I5 `and a supply line I6; Liquid is supplied tothe liquid pipe l2 througha solenoid controlled valve l1, a pressure regulating Valve I 8 and a supply line i9. Suitable gauges 2c may be provided in each oi the lines to indicate the pressure of the fluid supplied therein. rThe pipes are maintained in parallel spaced relationship by a number oi brackets connected thereto including an end bracket 2l which serves not only to maintain the pipes in their proper relative relationship, but also serves to afford communication between the liquid pipe I2 and the return pipe i3. As best seen in Fig. 3, the bracket 2i is provided with an opening 22 into which the air pipe il extends, a seal being maintained between the pipe and bracket by the soldered connection 23 as illustrated. The opening 22 extends completely through the bracket, its outer end being closed by a plug 2li. rThe bracket is provided With a second opening i whose outer end is closed by a second plug 25 and into which the liquid line i2 extends. A third opening 2l is also provided in the bracket 2l into which the return line i3 extends and a third plug 28 is threaded into the outer end of the opening to seal off the interior of the bracket. Extending through the bracket and serving to connect together the pipes i2 and i3 is a passage En. rEhe passage Sii, like the other openings in the bracket, extends to the exterior thereof, the outer end being closed by a fourth plug 3l.

The return line i3 is designed to be used when the conditioning liquid to be applied to the web must be maintained under certain operating conditions. Thus, for example, if the liquid must be maintained Within a speciiic temperature range or at a certain concentration, the valve means, hereinafter to be described, which controls the line i3, is opened to permit a portion ci the liquid introduced into the pipe i2 to be returned to the source. By this means a rather rapid circulation of conditioning liquid through the pipes 52 and i3 may be achieved. Ii temperature or concentration of the liquid is of no consequence, the valve means may be used to shut olii the return line l?, and hence no iotv through that line or through the passage 38 occurs. If it is contemplated that recirculation of the conditioning fluid will never be necessary in any particular installation, the return line I3 may be omitted in its entirety.

' The plugs 2d and 2t are provided not only to facilitate the cleaning of the pipes and pasm sages but also to adopt the unit for right-hand or left-hand installations. Thus, the air line may be connected to the pipe il by removing the plug 25 and connecting it to that end of the pipe rather than to the other end as illustrated in Fig. 2 should the location or" the apparatus to which the unit is attached be such as to require it. The return line and the liquid line may be similarly reversed. Again to facilitate connection of the various supply lines to the pipe unit additional plugs 32 and 33 are provided in the bracket member 2i in order that the connection may come from either the side, top, or the bottom oi the liquid and return pipes.

Air in the air pipe Il and liquid in the liquid pipe l2 are supplied to a plurality of atomizing nozzles 3i spaced. at regular intervals along the pipes through the medium of mixing and metering valve means 35, each associated with a single atomizing nozzle. As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the valve means 35 includes a thin nat substantially rectangular integral casing provided with a pair of aligned openings 3l and 3&3 through which the pipes Il and i2, respectively, extend, the openings being such as to engage the exterior surfaces of the pipes in huid-tight relationship. The casing 33 is preferably formed of a solid piece of brass in which there has been drilled a pair of substantially parallel passages 35i dil, the passages being connected at one end with openings lll and #i2 formed in the pipes ll and I2. Bosses i3 and di :formed on the casing support a metering valve means which includes needle valves i5 and 26 Which extend respectively into the passages 39 and il and are movable 'therein by operating the handles i? and fit. On the opposite side of the casing there is provided another boss Eli which is adapted to support the atomizing nozzle Connected to the nozzle 34 are a second pair oi parallel passages 5l and 52 which extend through the casing in the direction of the opposite edge. Connection between the passages @Si and fill and the passages 5i and 52 isaiiorded by means of angularly arranged drilled passages E3 and as shown.

Preferably, in forming the various passages just described, a suitable jig may be constructed so that all of the passages may be drilled in the casing in a manner to insure their meeting at the proper positions. Thus the bulk of the entire valve structure 35 may be reduced considerably While maintaining complete metering control over the supply of air and liquid. It is, of course, understoodthat the liquid in the passage 5l is conducted into a rotation chamber provided in the atomizing nozzle and expelled therefrom by air in the passage 52 in the usual manner to provide a thin fan-like spray from the nozzle. The pressure of air and liquid and the relative amounts of each metered to the nozzle are such as to provide a spray which is almost steam-like in character, that is a spray in Which the droplet size is extremely small.

To achieve the proper spray, the air pressure and its ow in cubic feet per minute must be correlated with the liquid pressure and its flow in gallons per hour. Thus, for example, if the liquid pressure is 30 p. s. i. and it is desired to pass approximately 2 gallons per hour through each spray nozzle, the air pressure should be at approximately 42 lbs. p. s. i. and its flow should be 1% cubic feet per minute. Various other pressures and ovv rates may be used depending upon tltie conditions under which the device is opera ed.

In order to provide an apparatus which will require the minimum of maintenance during its lifetime, I prefer to construct all piping of brass and all valve parts of brass. The spray nozzles may be either of brass or stainless steel as desired. In the entire pipe unit the only lnon-brass members are the handles for the spray nozzle valves, which latter items may be of steel or any other suitable construction.

The pipe unit, which includes the air and liquid pipes together with the plurality of spray nozzles spaced along the pipes, may be installed to extend transversely of the Web either above the web or below, or, should at the particular point of installation the web be travelling other than horizontally, the unit may be installed on either y Y aketincluds 'afped I"ittiriglil provided *afl'ongjeach zedge iwithi sliladapted *tooverlaptheedges of an -t-z irmly*mieuink spositioiifegending transversely ofthe web *Lto be treated. 'lie *fitting, 60, is provided with "'a 'circular boss Jtj2 1prirvided with internal threads to receive a bolt 64 which rotatably carries a supporting arm 65. 4It will beno'tedthat thebf 'rtatibn bf the arm `$5 about the "bo1tf6`4 is at right-angles to the pipes ||-|'\3 and, as will hereinafter be noted, substantial-ly parallel tothe direction of movement of a horizontally travellingweb.

The supporting arm 65` is shown in the lfcrmpf Lafsubstantially nat web which lis twisted `'approxigmaterly90 at its upper end to provide a `ila'tsurface l{i6-having a central openingthereinA through which a lbolt member 61 extends. The boltlE-'I is fxedin agblockIO having an-opening 'H 'extending therethrough which embraces the pipe l l and is held in fixed relationship to the pipe by means of the set screws T2. Thus the upper end '66 of the supporting arm 65 may, by loosening the nut 13, be rotated relative thereto to shift the pipe unit transversely of the web. Thus in eiect the arm 65, one of which is provided at each end of the pipe unit, forms with the pipe unit and circular bosses 62, a parallelogram arrangement, which permits lateral adjustment of the pipe unit.

This adjustment is valuable even after the pipe unit has been installed. Thus, for example, should a narrower web be undergoing condition ing, one of the spray nozzles may be shut oi by closing the valve means associated therewith and the entire unit shifted laterally to provide complete coverage of the web by the remaining spray nozzles. Normally this lateral shift will not be of distance greater than one-half the distance between adjacent spray nozzles.

A complete system for utilizing the condition` ing apparatus of which invention is shown in Fig. l in which a web of paper 8D is led over the pipe unit I8 by means of a pair of rotating rolls 8| and 82. The rolls 8| and 82 may be part of the paper making machine, a paper coating machine, a printing press or the like and it is usually not necessary to rearrange any of the rolls of any such machines in order to incorporate the conditioning unit of this invention. Compressed air from a source is directed into an air lter 83 and thence into the air supply line I6 to the air pipe Il, previously described. In the liquid supply system there is provided a water filter 84 connected by means of a first pipe 85 to a source of water and by means of a second pipe 86 to a pump 81 for moving the water under pressure. The line 88 is controlled by a shutoff valve 88. If Water only is being supplied to condition the web, the solenoid 98 which controls the return line 9| connected to the return pipe I3 is left open to shut off the return line. Similarly another shutoff valve 92, which connects to a supply tank 93, is also closed and water is directed only from the source through the filter through the pipe 88 to liquid supply line I9. If a conditioning fluid including ingredients in addition to water is to be used, such Ias size and the like, it may be desirable to maintain either the temperature or the concentration or both of such solution within a desired range. When such a condition prevails the solenoid 80 is energized to open the return line 9| to the liquid supply tank 93 which contains the supply of sizing or other conditioning material atta-en and the "valve ss is biased wim@ thefts-ive Ijrs been ro previas circulante between the tank '93, `th'e'puinpmandthe supply:lin'eT9.` i WhenY so operated it "is contempla'tdfthat 'excess 'of liquid will "bepuinp'd to the pipe unit, the excess being returned 'by the "return lineg't'o "the liquid J'supply tankf'to `be remixed with the Lcon tionin'g Afluid therein. To maiiitain'th' d'itidniig fluid ralt theup'wrdpr temperature `heater ``9lfma`y be installed "between the "supply 4tank and 1the pump. `Suitable electrical cir its are provided for supplying heat to the water iid fdr 'operating the 'various solenoids a's`shw`r1.

I-cljaim: i V 1. A V"system fors,i11`apl5`1`ing a conditioning iq- *uid 'to `'aline-"ving web "comprising 44an 'air pipe, lid"- "uid 'pipe and :a ietu'n pipe, #bracket means "sup- :prting "the `'pipes "i'n spaced parallel Arelatiifisliili including a bracket at one nd'f 'the 'pipes havfing 'ajpa'irof spaced'openigs therein in the `vof 'which *said liquid pipe 'is supported ihthe second of which said return pipe is supported and said bracket having a liquid passage therein communicating with said openings thereby connecting the liquid pipe to the return pipe, a plurality of atomizing nozzles supported in spaced relationship on the air and liquid pipes, a pair of valves for each nozzle, one valve means being connected to the air pipe and the other being connected to the liquid pipe to meter air and liquid to the nozzle associated therewith, means for adjustably supporting the pipes closely adjacent to the web for movement transversely of the direction of movement of the web, means associated with said supporting means for fixing said pipes in adjusted position a source of air under pressure, means connecting the source to the air pipe, a source of conditioning liquid, means connected to the last mentioned source for supplying conditioning liquid to the liquid pipe, means for regulating the pressure of air and liquid delivered to the air Iand supply pipes, and means connecting the return pipe to the source.

2. Apparatus of the character described in claim 1 in which said adjustable supporting means includes a iixed support, a pair of supporting members, mounting means on the support mounting said members for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the direction of movement of the web with the supporting members being connected to one of the pipes at opposite ends thereof for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the direction of movement of the web whereby the pipes may be adjustably positioned transversely of the web.

3. In a system for supplying a conditioning liquid in spray form to a moving web including a. first pipe connected to a source of air under pressure and a second pipe connected to a source of conditioning liquid under pressure, means for metering air and liquid to an atomizing nozzle comprising a i'lat, thin generally rectangular one piece casing, means along one side of the casing for supporting the atomizing nozzle, a pair of aligned openings in the casing each adapted to be secured in fluid-tight relationship to a different one of the pipes, a first pair of drilled passages in the casing each connecting into a different one of the openings and adapted to coincide with an opening in each pipe at the location thereof, a metering valve in each passage, a second pair of drilled passages in the casing parallel to the first pair Aof passages and opening into a portion of the nozzle supporting means, and a third pair of drilled passages in the casing angu-` 7 larly displaced relative to each other and to the other passages with each of the third passages connecting a different one of the first passages to a different one of the second passages.

4. In a system for supplying a conditioning liqyuid in spray form across the width of a moving 'Web including a plurality of atomizing nozzles, a

plurality of parallel pipes supporting the nozzle in spaced relationship with one of said pipes being connected to a source of air under pressure and another of the pipes being connected to a source of conditioning fluid for conducting air and liquid to said atomizing nozzles, means for adjustably supporting the pipes transversely of the direction of movement of the web comprising a pair of L-shaped iittings each adapted to be secured to an angle iron support extending transversely of the web, each of the fittings being provided with a supporting arm having one end secured to the fitting for pivotal movement about an axis at right angles to the pipes, a pair of brackets each secured to opposite ends of one of the pipes, and

`means for securing the other end of each of the arms to a different one of the brackets for pivotal `movement about an axis at right angles to the pipes, whereby the pipes may be moved transversely of the web correctly to position the atomizing nozzles relative thereto.

EUGENE M. FLINT.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

